Together
by scarletlions
Summary: ""Your crest," the demon said. "It is worthless, yet I cannot win without it. You have already given up, so give me your crest. Release Hope to me." (A Takari fic!)
1. The Dream

**A/N: I dont own digimon or any of the characters or anything. I actually dont really own anything. Hope you like it!**

The blonde haired boy woke up in a flash, his head drenched in sweat, his heart hammering out of his chest. Already the nightmare was exiting his mind as he became more and more awake. _Remember_, he thinks to himself. _Just this once._

The bright sunlight intruding through the window served as a great contrast to the darkness that he was struggling to hold on to. _I always forget. Not this time. Please._

In a few minutes, however, every aspect of the nightmare had been eradicated from his mind. He groaned in frustration and threw himself back down onto his bed, right on top of an orange pillow.

"Ow!" the pillow screeched in response. It stood up, shook in a vaguely dog-like fashion, and spread its wings. The boy laughed.

"Sorry, Patamon!" The boys smile faded as quickly as it had come. His blue eyes glazed over and he was suddenly lost in thought. The white and orange digimon went to the window, where the blind was only allowing strips of light to enter the room.

"Look, TK!" he laughed, allowing the dark parts from the blinds to create stripes on his orange fur. "I'm a tiger!" Patamon's smile fades as well as he turns to face his partner and friend. "It was that nightmare again, wasn't it?" He took TK's silence as a yes. "That's every night for a week now. Shouldn't you tell Matt?"

The 15 year old boy sat quite still for a little while. Then he shook his head and stared at the door.

"If I tell Matt, he'll have a heart attack. It's honestly probably just bad dreams. I've seen some things, you know?" It was true, and Patamon knew it. The things TK had been through, even as a child, were enough to cause most people nightmares.

"But TK," the squeaky voiced partner said anxiously. "You have to tell somebody! Bad things happen when you keep things inside."

TK knew that was true. Keeping dark things to yourself can lead to some pretty dangerous situations. He had his good friend Kari Kamiya to remind him of that.

He brightened. Kari! He could tell Kari about his nightmare. She would know what to do. The prospect of talking with his best friend, along with the time, made TK get ready for school with a renewed haste.

"Mom," TK yelled as he walked to the door. "I'm leaving for school!"

"Okay, honey have a nice day!" he heard back. "I won't be here until late tonight, will you be okay on your own?" He chuckled a little before reassuring his mother that he would be perfectly fine by himself. Her new job has required him to fend for himself quite often.

He met Yolei and Cody on the way down. The younger boy was carrying what looked like a small, off-white head with strange wings. The little head bounced up and down when he saw TK and Patamon come down.

"TK! Hey!" Upamon shouted, but was answered with a quick squeeze from Cody, who looked around in a panic.

"When will you learn to stay quiet!" Cody admonished his digimon partner, though he was quickly losing his anger.

"Yes, Upamon, we're supposed to be a secret!" Poromon squeaked, earning him an exasperated sound from Yolei. TK just laughed.

"I thought the whole point of saving the world from MaloMyotismon meant we didn't have to stay in hiding?" Patamon asked.

"I'd rather not be surrounded by press at every moment of every day," TK laughed. "There were so many kids that day that nobody knows what happened besides that a bunch of kids with shiny devices and strange looking animals saved the day."

"Strange looking? Who're you calling 'strange?'" Upamon said, struggling to launch himself at TK. Cody tightened his grip, laughing as the ball of fur wiggled around. The three friends exited the building and began their walk to school.

"Do you guys have that career counseling thing today?" Cody asked. Cody, even though he was two years younger than most of his friends, always seemed to know more about their lives than they did.

"I almost forgot!" Yolei shrieked. "I don't even know what I'm going to say. Do you have any idea, TK?" He thought he might, but he wasn't sure. He didn't want anybody telling him how impractical it was.

"Probably just basketball," he responded. "Hopefully I'm good enough to make it big time. Otherwise, I've got nothing." _Well, not nothing,_ he thought.

"I'm thinking maybe computer science," Yolei stated. TK and Cody chuckled a little before she looked at them and asked why they laughed.

"Well, duh," Cody explained. "You're a genius with computers, plus its all you've talked about doing since you moved to the apartment!" Poromon and Upamon laughed.

The rest of the conversation for the duration of the walk was taken up primarily by Yolei and Cody. TK smiled and nodded when appropriate but could not focus on the conversation. The nightmare had made its mark last night, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

_Why am I having these nightmares? Why am I the only one having them? Everybody acts so normal. _Suddenly, a voice reached him and pulled him out of reverie.

"Hey, TK. You alright?" TK turned and saw his best friend, Kari, running to catch up to them as they enter the school. Her short, auburn colored hair bounced slightly, framing her high cheekbones. TK felt himself blush slightly as he caught himself thinking about her beauty.

He'd been struggling to come to terms with his feelings for Kari for quite a while. A few years ago, he told Kari that he cared about her, and she said she cared about him, but what did that mean exactly? Especially considering nothing had happened in the time past.

"What are you staring at?" Kari asked, curiously. "Is there something on my face?" TK loved the way she asked that. Not the way others would ask, in a panic, but calmly, as if she didn't care if there was something on her face or not.

"No, its nothing, you look..." He struggled to find a word that wasn't too overbearing. "...fine." She gave him a quizzical look, and looked as though she might press the matter further, but was interrupted by a whining Upamon.

"How come Gatomon gets walk freely?!" the tiny digimon complained loudly.

"The perks of being me," the cat-like digimon responded with a sly smile. Kari gave her partner a good natured shove and giggled.

"Gatomon looks pretty much like a cat," Kari replied. "So as long as she doesn't talk in public, we shouldn't have a problem." The digimon chuckled and ran up the tree in the front of the property, followed by Patamon.

The kids walked into the school and waved goodbye to Cody as he departed towards his classmates. Davis, still wearing Tai's goggles, came running up behind the trio. His momentum, and his clumsiness, caused him to run right into Yolei.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going, google head! Don't you play soccer? Why are you so uncoordinated?!" she screeched, as the rest of the group laughed at the ordinary occurrence.

"Sorry Yolei! Ah! Stop hitting me! Stop it!" He managed to get away from Yolei's claws, and turned to face everybody else. "Hey, guys! Did you see the flyer about the dance?"

"Flyer?" TK asked, while Yolei screamed "DANCE?"

"Yeah they're all over the place! Apparently, we aren't supposed to 'officially' ask somebody to be our date or something. I don't even know, I think its pretty dumb."

"Why?" Yolei asked. "Did you wanna ask Kari to the dance?" Kari blushed, and TK could feel his stomach churn violently.

"Nah. No offense, Kari, but you and me...we just wouldn't work out." Everybody looked at him in utter amazement. Suddenly, he was on the defensive. "What? It was a crush! I grew out of it!"

"Why can't we have dates for this dance?" Yolei asked, a little pouty.

"Could you have taken Ken anyway?" Kari asked, probably without thinking. "I mean, he goes to a different school..." Yolei turned beet red and opened her mouth, but Kari was spared Yolei's wrath by the bell.

"Oh, Kari," TK said as they walked to first period together. "Are you busy after school? I kind of need your help with something."

"Ugh, an afternoon with you?" She groaned sarcastically. She chuckled. "Of course I'm not too busy, TK. Not for you, anyway."

TK couldn't tell for sure, but she seemed to blush and turn slightly away. He wanted to believe that she did, but he knew that was unrealistic. He felt himself start to blush, again, and quickly changed the subject by asking her what she thought of the dance.

"I guess it's a little weird that there are no dates," she replied. "But it certainly does take the stress out of asking people."

"I heard somebody saying they don't want dates because of the drama it causes," TK remembered. "We're supposed to ask people to dance when we're there." Kari and TK chuckled as they approached their first class, Algebra II.

Once he was safely in the back of his math classroom (The teacher had had TK long enough to know that calling on him during class was pointless), TK began to think about his nightmare again. He could almost picture it; the icy voice that scratched at his ears, the darkness settling around his eyes and his heart.

Why did he feel that something had to do with Kari? Granted, she was always on his mind. Maybe he was just worried something bad was going to happen. He had gotten very paranoid lately. TK tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes, but ended up temporarily blurring his own vision. He could barely make out Kari talking to somebody. When he regained eyesight, he almost wished he hadn't.

Directly in front of Kari's seat sat Shinji Sakurai, star soccer player, class president, genius scholar, class flirt, and the current reason TK could hear his heartbeat in his own ears.

He could feel his stomach churning, threatening to explode; his blood boiled and his fists clenched; he couldn't decide whether he wanted to throw up or punch Shinji in his very popular face. His face felt burning hot and his breathing got shallow. He swallowed and tried to look away, but every time Kari giggled he felt like he need to punch in the wall, or cry.

"TK," he heard a voice say. He blinked twice and turned around. His guidance counselor was standing at the door. "Did you forget about career counseling?" TK mentally slapped himself in the face. He had been too preoccupied with talking to Kari about his nightmare that he had completely forgotten.

Apologizing profusely to both his math teacher and his guidance counselor, he got his bag and moved towards the door. He saw Kari turn away from Shinji and stare right at him, and mouth "I'll meet you at your locker after school!" He barely had time for his heart to skip a beat before he walked out of the room.


	2. The Appointment

**A/N: I don't own Digimon, its characters, etc, etc. Also this chapter is kind of short but I have another one coming maybe later today so dont lose hope with me! Hope you enjoy :)**

The guidance counselor's office was painted a dull blue, as though the once vibrant color had faded through the years. The door opened up into a room large enough to fit one small desk and two rocks that were disguised as chairs. The computer screen saver, the school logo, moved slowly on the computer monitor, and the posters of esteemed universities were falling down by the corners.

TK had tried to avoid every meeting his guidance counselor had set up for him, specifically because of the room. The guidance counselor herself was nice enough, and TK appreciated how she always got straight to the point.

"So, TK," she started out as soon as he found his seat. "Let me just start off by saying that your grades this quarter are really excellent." TK had barely gotten out his thanks before she marched right into the real business. "All your grades are basically the same, so I can't suggest what you might be better at for a career. Have you had any thoughts?"

_Just tell her, its not like anybody else will find out_. TK opened his mouth and almost said it; there was a brief moment where he was going to admit to wanting to be a novelist. His mouth had formed the words, when he could feel the hope disappear.

"I - A couple of coaches have approached me about basketball," he switched suddenly. _Its a little strange that your realistic plan is a sports career_, his mother had said, but he hadn't told her the truth either.

The fact that a career in basketball was a realistic possibility also made TK feel a little bad. There were kids, even in his own school, that were trying and struggling to enter the "safe" areas. His guidance counselor was not even taken back for a second.

"Well, all I'd suggest is to have a back-up plan," she reported. "But as it is my job to speak frankly to you, if you're serious about this professional basketball career, you'll get it. I've seen you play." She spent another five minutes reminding him to keep his grades up and the usual, but TK was not paying much attention. He did notice, however, that the pass she gave him had the time 10 minutes late. She was giving him ten minutes, enough to miss the rest of his algebra class.

He wandered aimlessly in the hallway, and out of boredom tried to avoid stepping on the cracks separating the tan tiles on the floor. He was doing well, but landed awkwardly on his left foot and quickly repositioned himself in time to catch sight of a shadow racing down the corridor. Without even a second hesitation, he raced in the direction of the apparition.

"Who was that?" he shouted. "Show yourself!" He kept running until he reached the end of the hallway. He could either go up the stairs or down, and he kept demanding to know who it was. Before he could make a decision, he heard something.

"TK what are you doing?" Cody asked. TK turned around in surprise.

"Cody?" He asked, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I do go to school here," Cody said. "And this is my grade's side of the building." TK turned again and saw that Cody was right; TK had chased the shadow across the entire school.

"Were you chasing the shadow?" Cody asked. TK was surprised for the third time in a row.

"You saw it too?" TK asked. "Do you think it was a person?" Cody's thoughtful eyes narrowed.

"As opposed to a digimon?" he asked. "I'm not sure. It look humanoid, but we have seen plenty of human looking digimon. Its always a possibility." TK nodded.

Still feeling like he was being watched, TK walked with Cody back towards the classrooms.


	3. The Moment

**A/N: I dont own digimon or any of the characters or anything. Well, I told you I'd get you this chapter before the day was up! This one is a little bit longer...I didnt realize how short that other chapter was. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy it!**

The end of the day approached slower than a sleeping Numemon. In his Literature class, TK realized that most of the words used he didn't really understand. During Chemistry class, he accidentally mixed the wrong chemicals together and suffered a lecture about the necessity of paying attention during class. His lunch was tasteless, or would be if he had eaten.

As much as he wanted to talk with Kari, it was the strange shadow that was preying on TK's mind. He couldn't get the image out of his mind; a shape darker than the night sky, taller than the average man, with long arms. He didn't think it was a human; what human could move that quickly and disappear? The only other option was that it was a digimon.

He sent an email to his brother during his study hall. He told him that he was hanging out with Kari after school, but later tonight the digidestined needed to have a meeting.

He went to his locker after school and twisted the lock to enter his combination. The old locker was rusty and green, and squeaked loudly when TK swung it open. He put a book in his locker, put one in his backpack, and stood there, looking into the locker. He had that feeling that he was forgetting something. _Or maybe,_ he thought, _It's something that I should know but haven't realized yet._

"Hey," Kari said, closing TK's locker. "You ready to go?" TK stood a moment, one hand leaning against the locker.

"Yeah," he said, after realizing that he hadn't answered. "Is it okay if we just go to my house? My mom's not home."

"Of course," Kari said. "Whatever you need to tell me must be important if we have to be alone."

The walk to TK's apartment building was usually about 10 minutes. Whenever he walked home with Kari, however, it felt like 10 seconds. He knew that Patamon and Gatomon were nearby, and that as soon as they got to his house her cheerfulness would be diminished, but he couldn't yet bring himself to destroy the mood. They walked side by side, in sync, and so close that TK could have reached over an inch and grabbed her hand if he wanted to.

Every day it was the same routine. He found her, they walked home together, he had a burning desire to walk hand in hand, and then he remembered where they were and that he had a worse way with women than Tai does. Ever since Tai and Sora started dating after she and Matt broke up, everybody joked that Tai really had no common sense when it came to what Sora wanted. He continuously brings up the time he puked in her hat, and misinterprets everything she says. Yet she's still happy. All TK wanted to do was make people happy, especially Kari.

"TK," she said, gently. He looked at her. "Are you going to open the door?" He realized that he had been just standing outside his apartment. For how long, he couldn't tell. He felt his cheeks burn up as he realized that was the third time today that Kari had to break him out of a trance. His hand shook so hard with the key to open the door that she had to hold his wrist to steady him.

"Is everything alright?" Kari asked. "You're acting very strange. And I got an email saying that you called a meeting later tonight?"

"Yeah, its part of the reason I asked you to come over today," he explained. They walked into the house and went directly into the kitchen. They each got a glass of water, and Kari opened the window to allow a struggling Patamon to lift Gatomon into the apartment. He dropped the cat-like digimon into the sink, which caused Kari to giggle and TK to almost smile.

For the next hour, the two humans and their partners watched television. TK kept trying to decide how to bring it up, but he could feel Kari staring at him and he couldn't find the words. When the boy on TV tried to do a trick and fell of his skateboard, Kari gasped and then chuckled softly. Her joy faded into concern and she turned to him, her hands so close that he could feel their warmth.

"TK, are you going to tell her?" Patamon asked, landing on top of the blond kid's fishing hat. Careful not to nod so that he didn't fall of his head, TK looked at Kari.

"For the past week or so, I've been having this recurring nightmare," he began. "I don't really remember any of it. All I remember is a really dark shadow, and the most horrible laugh I've ever heard." He could hear it ringing in his ears even now. Dark, maniacal, and so very familiar...

"At school, Cody and I saw a shadowy figure race through the hallways and then disappear. He was too fast to be human, I'm sure of it."

"TK, you've been having these dreams for a _week_ and you're only telling me now?" Kari asked. She didn't ask it in a "Wow, don't you trust me" offended sort of way. She was so genuine in her concern for TK that it made his chest hurt.

"I didn't think it was anything besides a dream," he admitted. This time, when she moved her hands, she actually grasped his, and he did not hesitate before grasping hers back. They sat there, fingers intertwined, staring at each other. Just sitting with her, like this, gave TK some comfort. He couldn't tell how long it had been since their hands had touched, he could no longer tell whose hands were who's: they had become one single, indivisible being in their own time and place. If he had his way, they would never move, their contact would never break, and time itself would cease to exist in this moment; however, a slamming door broke the moment. Kari gasped, and her hands flew away so fast that TK could barely register what had happened before his mother came into the room.

"TK? Oh, hello Kari," she smiled. "Is everything alright, you two?" It took TK a few seconds to recover his voice.

"Y-Yeah, Mom," he replied, trying to avoid Kari's eyes. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks and was becoming acutely aware of the embarrassing aspects of the situation. Then he noticed that Kari's face was redder as well. He couldn't tell if that made him feel better or worse. "I'm hanging out with Matt tonight. Is that okay?"

"Of course, honey," she replied. "I hope everythings okay. Is it more of that digimon business?" She looked down at Patamon. "You make sure to protect him."

"Always, Ms. Takaishi," Patamon responded. She nodded, set her stuff down, and went to take a shower. Calling goodbye to his mother, TK, Kari, and their respective digimon walked out of the apartment.


	4. The Meeting

**A/N: I dont own digimon or any of the characters etc etc etc. I actually had a little bit of trouble with the ending of this chapter but i tried so dont hate me :) hope you enjoy!**

They walked awkwardly, side by side, letting the silence overcome them. TK had never felt such a tension, especially between the two of them. In an effort to avoid contact, he swerved slightly, causing him to lose his balance on an uneven piece of sidewalk and trip. Kari laughed as she helped him up, but he accidentally pulled her down too. Suddenly the two of them were laughing as if the awkwardness had never existed, and TK again felt hopeful that maybe he could at least maintain a friendship with her.

He didn't have time to test this theory, though. When they got to the park, Tai, Sora, Cody, and Yolei had already arrived. Kari greeted everybody and went directly to Yolei. TK, almost starting to worry again, allowed Patamon to fall gracefully onto his head and walk over to Tai, Sora, and Matt, who had just arrived.

"Hey, little brother," Matt said. "Everything okay?" TK tilted his head to the side. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kari and Yolei looking at him. He was determined to not blush.

"Uhm, I'm not sure yet," he said. "Better wait for everybody else to get here before I say anything."

Needless to say, Davis arrived last; with Tai's old googles about to fly off his head, he came to a sudden stop, panting as a tired looking DemiVeemon came struggling behind him.

"Sorry...I...forgot...the time..." he managed to get out between pants, doubled over, trying to get his breathe. TK fingered the necklace of his tag and crest, remembering the day Gennai told them that they could have them back, since the sacrifice of Oikawa would hold the boundaries of the digital world in check.

"TK," Cody said, once the attention had come off of Davis. "Is this about the strange thing you saw in school today?" Everybody's eyes shifted towards TK. He cleared his throat.

"Yeah," he began. "So...for the past few nights I've been having this dream. Well, its more of a nightmare really." He was beginning to lose confidence. "I-I didn't think much of it. I thought it was just a dream - a nightmare." He saw Kari nodding him on. He took a deep breathe. "I can't remember all the details. Just an evil laugh." An evil laugh that was becoming more familiar by the second. "And then today, at school, I chased a shadowy creature down the hallway."

"A digimon?" his brother asked.

"We weren't sure," Cody admitted. "It looked pretty humanoid, but it was very big, and darker than a shadow."

"Its not like we haven't seen any human-looking digimon before," Tai said, repeating something Cody had said earlier. Silence settled around them like autumn leaves, falling between the DigiDestined gently.

"So, we have another problem?" Joe asked, his voice a perpetual whine. His voice portrayed what everybody else was thinking; TK could see the anxiety wash across everybody's faces. _I wish I didn't have to bring this on them._

"So what's the problem?" Davis shouted. "We'll just kick butt! Nothing can beat our last adventure!" TK just shook his head. _Davis has no idea._ Izzy stared at TK with a quizzical look.

"TK, do you know who it was?" Izzy asked. TK didn't answer. He kept his head down, avoiding the gaze of his friends. He felt somebody gently place their hand on his shoulder. He looked at saw Kari, eyes giving him the encouragement Izzy's words didn't.

He stood up straight, his gaze directed at nobody in particular and finally said this theory aloud. "Devimon."

Cody, Yolei, and Davis looked confused; TK saw the recognition in Kari's face. But it was to the other six that he directed himself.

Tai and Matt's faces fell; Sora sank to her knees with her hands on her face; Izzy was already running through the possibilities, his face dark; Mimi, recently returned from America, had her hands over her mouth in shock, and Joe was muttering to himself about his luck. TK's hands were trembling, but he could not get a grip on them.

"Are you sure, TK?" Matt asked. "Absolutely sure?" All he could do was nod back. The reactions of the older kids had spread to the younger kids; though only vaguely aware of the threat Devimon posed, their faces were washed with anxiety.

"How is that even possible?" Sora whispered. "I remember...quite vividly...him being destroyed."

"Sora, you're forgetting that digimon don't really die," Izzy said. "We fixed Primary Village so that our friends could be reborn, but...I guess it wasn't limited to just them."

Joe had begun pacing, his hands moving wildly around, now complaining louder about the rotten luck of the group. Mimi walked up to him, gently grabbed his hands, and brought them down to waist level.

"No matter what comes, it is important to stick together," Mimi said sincerely. "We will take this challenge the way we have dealt with everything before."

There was silence again, but a less defeated, anxious sort of silence. It was the kind of silence that unified people, that brought them even closer together. Tai put him arm around Sora and drew her closer, lightly kissing the top of her head. Joe didn't pull his hands away from Mimi, but gripped them tighter.

"You're right, of course," Joe said. "Best not to panic."

"Imagine Joe not panicking?" Kari whispered as the group dispersed. TK found himself smiling, remembering the times where Joe had done nothing _but _panic.

"Try not to worry too much, TK," she said. "We'll get him."

A week later, however, they hadn't. TK had had the dream 3 more times, though he finally began remembering a little more each day. Every Algebra class ended with TK being given extra homework to practice.

"Cheer up, KT," Davis said cheerfully on Thursday. "The week is almost over, and the dance is tomorrow!" The thought of the dance, surprisingly, did not do anything to lighten his mood. Every mention of the dance sent a vision of Kari being swept off her feet by Shinji during a waltz.

"Come on, little brother," Matt said. "We need to get you something to wear to this dance if you want to impress the ladies." TK had a sneaky suspicion that, although he had never physically said it aloud, Matt knew who he really wanted to impress.

Sora and Tai joined them at the mall. Tai's wardrobe had failed the "girlfriend inspection," as Sora had called it, so he also needed something to wear. TK shuffled absentmindedly through a stack of clothes while Matt kept shoving the most ridiculous outfits into Tai's arms for his best friend to try on.

"Hey, TK," Sora said gently. "Are you excited for the dance tomorrow?" TK shrugged and turned away without saying a word. Then, realizing how rude he had been, turned back.

"Sorry, Sora," he apologized. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately. I guess I'm just really not into the dance."

"I figured," she said. "I know that you've got a lot on your plate, what with the horrible nightmares, and…girl troubles." _Does everybody know?_ TK wondered. _Does that mean Kari knows?_

"These kinds of areas are my specialty, remember?" she said, while touching the Crest of Love that hung around her neck. "Though, to be honest…the only person who doesn't know is probably her." TK returned to shuffling through the clothes. "Here, try this." She gave him a plain blue button down shirt that, as she put it, "brought out the color of his eyes."


	5. The Encounter

**A/N: I don't own digimon or any of its characters. I'm going to hopefully keep updating this every few days but NANO just started. But i wont forget about this, I swear! Ill just update less than every two days haha. Hope you enjoy!**

That night, TK and his mother ate dinner together. It was microwavable TV dinners with slimy mashed potatoes and chewy steak, but TK appreciated that his mother took the time to sit with him. He asked about her work, her newest article, how ridiculous her next deadline was, and she inquired about school, friends, and Patamon.

"So, are you ready for the dance tomorrow?" his mother asked. TK felt his smile fall slightly as he stirred his mashed potatoes.

"Sure," he said without taking his eyes off of his plate. "Matt helped me pick out some clothes this afternoon."

"Your brother?" she replied with a laugh. "Then I'm sure whoever you're taking to the dance will be thrilled." TK smiled again, envisioning the last getup his brother wore at his previous concert.

"Well, Sora helped me pick it out, really," he said. "Matt just kept forcing Tai to try on really ridiculous shirts." They laughed again.

"Just try to have fun tomorrow, okay?" she suggested. "You're in high school. It's not the end of the world."

TK thought about those words late into the night. As he tossed and turned, anxious to fall asleep because he knew that the dream, and the dance, were coming, he wondered whether it truly wasn't the end of the world or not. With Devimon returning, certainly more powerful than before, how could they hope to defeat him? It had cost them Angemon last time. His hand found its way to the crest on his neck. _Hope was the last thing they had. They needed it._

Dawn came too quickly, and at the same time, not quick enough. The nightmare had revealed to TK a clock striking 10, and a blue lake, while the insane laughter rang behind him, chilling his bones. He sat up, drenched in cold sweat, thankful for the sunlight. When he saw his clock, he cursed and sank back down into the bed.

"This dance is giving you a lot more anxiety than it should be," Patamon noticed. "Shouldn't you be excited for things like this?"

"Probably," he answered, his toothbrush stuck in his mouth, his hair sticking up in odd places. "But I've never done things the normal way. Have you seen my hat?"

At 8:00 that evening, TK got into his brother's car, both of them dressed nicely. Patamon sat in the backseat, and in case something went wrong, TK's digivice was strapped to his belt. He and the other DigiDestined had always taken to keeping them around, as a precaution.

"Did you really have to wear your hat to the dance?" Matt asked, his face wrapped by an incredulous grin.

"What's wrong with my hat?!" TK asked. "Its my signature. It wouldn't be me if I didn't wear the hat!"

"I think he looks nice," Mimi said, walking up to them in front of the school gymnasium. She was wear a sparkly pink dress, and had kept the stars in her hair, though it was braided down the side.

"Did you really come back from America on your spring break to go to this dance?" Matt asked.

"Well, you know..." she began, with a side glance at where Joe was standing, talking to Izzy and Cody. "My friends are here." She turned and waved at somebody.

It took all of TK's self control not to drop his jaw. Kari walked in, wearing a light pink dress, nervously wringing her hands together. TK wanted to hold her hands, to tell her that she needn't ever be self conscious again, that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever had the privilege to see. But then the moment passed as Davis, Yolei, and Cody walked up to them.

"Hey, guys!" Davis waved at them. "Wow, Kari...you look beautiful!" Even though he knew that Davis was over Kari, the comment still rubbed him the wrong way. _I should be the one to tell her how beautiful she is._

Kari visibly lightened up after receiving a little bit of praise. She looked at TK, as if expecting him to say something. Yet every time he tried to speak, he felt as if somebody had shoved a tennis ball down his throat. He could feel his mouth still open, and his mouth was getting dry. He tried to swallow before speaking.

"L-Lets go inside," he stammered. Kari raised one eyebrow and pursed her lips, but she allowed herself to be pulled inside by a dolled up Yolei. TK felt an arm go around his shoulders, and then his brother was whispering with a chuckle, "Smooth, bro." TK could feel himself turn bright red, and he shrugged away Matt's arm as his brother laughed behind him.

The dance committee had redesigned the entire gymnasium for the theme "Winter Ball." The fake icicles that hung from the ceiling lit up, and the white decorations made it seem classy, yet cold. The cold was just an illusion. It was hot, and cramped. The inside of the gym was packed much beyond TK's comfort level. After his previous battle in the Digital World, TK had become less tolerant of being touched by other people. He had headed straight to the drinks table, in an effort to avoid contact and heat. He could tell that his friends felt the same way, save perhaps Davis, who was making his way to the middle of the dance floor.

Nearby, he was surprised to notice that Mimi and Joe were on the dance floor. A slower song had come on, and Mimi was trying to teach Joe to dance. She was incredibly patient; he stepped on her feet a remarkable amount of times, but instead of getting annoyed, she smiled every time. The way she looked at him made TK's stomach hurt. Although they were dancing awkwardly, the connection between the two was undeniable. He wondered if he would ever have that, and subconsciously he began to scan the crowd for Kari.

His eyes, now looking slightly the right, fell upon the most hideous sight TK had ever seen. Kari was standing right next to Shinji, her eyes focused on what he was saying. She was shaking her head slightly, but smiling. He kept pointing out the dance floor.

_He's asking her to dance! I should be asking her to dance!_ TK thought in horror. For one split second, determination washed over him. He was going to march right up to Kari, tell her how much she meant to him, and ask her dance. However, his body was not on the same page as his mind; in the end, he just looked confused, with one foot outstretched and his body weight pulling him backwards. He thought about maybe going to talk to Matt about what to do, when he heard the clock strike.

His head whipped around to the clock. Sure enough, it read 10:00.

_There is no way I should have been able to hear the clock over this crowd_, he thought to himself. How could he hear the clock tick over the roar of the music and the screaming teenagers? Then he saw blue fur run into the hallway. Thinking he recognized it, he followed.

"Gabumon?" TK exclaimed. "What...what are you doing here?"

"We're all here, TK," he heard another voice say. He turned around to see Agumon, Biyomon, Tentomon, Palmon, Gomamon, Patamon, and Gatomon. Bouncing towards them from down the hall was DemiVeemon, Upamon, and Poromon.

"What are you guys doing?!" TK shouted. "This is not a good time! How did you even get out of the digital world?"

"We dont know," Tentomon admitted. "One minute we were just in the Digital World, and the next...we were here."

TK did not like the sound of that at all. It happened the exact moment that he heard the clock? And then his nightmare came back to him; the clock reading 10:00. He started backing up towards the gym.

"Somethings about to happen," he said. "We've got to go..." He was interrupted by a loud crash echoing from the dance, and the sudden stop of the music. TK and the digimon ran into the room to discover a large, bright, tornado-like funnel had formed in the center of the room. The students were running over each other in their desperate attempts to get out of the way. TK had a hard time getting to the center of the room, like trying to swim against the current. His teeth clenched in frustration, he could feel his own blood pressure rising. The already boiling room became hotter. Determined to get through, TK screamed out loud.

"Patamon!" he shouted, and through his closed eyes he could see the light of his digivice shining.

"Patamon digivolve to...Angemon!"

"Is that an angel?!" a boy from somewhere in the mess shouted. TK found it easier to push past people as they were distracted by Angemon. He looked and saw that his digimon had been joined by Angewomon and WereGarurumon.

"Angemon!" TK shouted. "Get it!"

"_Hand of Fate_!" the angelic digimon shouted. His orange attack went straight into the vortex and disappeared. Then the laughter began.

"My old foe," a deep, dark voice rang out. The vortex began to spin faster and faster. Plastic plates and cups and even the chairs began flying around the room. The light of TK's digivice glowed so brightly he thought he would be blinded; but suddenly the wind died. When the light faded, TK saw that they were standing in a meadow, which he automatically recognized as in the Digital World.

Flying near them was TK's worst nightmare in the flesh. Devimon was exactly the same as TK had remembered; the same wings, riddled with holes; the same black hood, the same fangs, the same empty eyes. His own fists were clenched in rage.

"He's only a champion, we can take him!" Tai called out. "Agumon, you gotta digivolve!"

"You heard him," Joe said. "Everybody, quick! Ultimate level!"

"Agumon digivolve to...Greymon! Greymon digivolve to...MetalGreymon!"

"Biyomon digivolve to...Birdramon! Birdramon digivolve to...Garudamon!"

"Tentomon digivolve to...Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon digivolve to...MegaKabuterimon!"

"Gomamon digivolve to...Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon digivolve to...Zudomon!"

"Palmon digivolve to...Togemon! Togemon digivolve to...Lillymon!"

"Veemon digivolve to...ExVeemon!"

"Hawkmon digivolve to...Aquilamon!"

"Armadillomon digivolve to...Ankylomon!"

"You think digivolving can beat me?" Devimon cackled. "It took all you had to beat me before, and now I'm much stronger! Attack, my army!"

At the sound of the command, the ground surrounding them began to shake. It was uncomfortable, especially for the girls still in heels, and from the distance massed a large group of dangerous looking digimon.

"Theres Vilemon...and Ogremon...Pajrimon, Tankdramon, Guardromon!" Izzy listed off the names of the types of digimon he saw. Some were champions, some were ultimates, and all of them looked plenty dangerous.

TK stared down at his crest, but he could not get it to glow. Without it, Angemon could not digivolve to MagnaAngemon.

The battle had begun. MetalGreymon launched his Giga Blaster attack into a crowd of Vilemon, who scattered. MegaKabuterimon, Zudomon, and Lillymon were rounding up a bunch of Ogremon and DarkTyrannomon.

TK could see that Devimon's army was no match for the DigiDestined, yet he could get get rid of his overlying sense of doom. Devimon was back and he was attacking.

"TK, what are you doing?" Matt demanded. His clothes were stained and wrinkled from the fight. "Hurry up and help Angemon digivolve! We could really use MagnaAngemon right now!"

An Ogremon had escaped Zudomon's attack and had found Angemon. He hit Angemon directly with a pummel whack attack and was about to hit him again when Angewomon's Celestial Arrow cut through the green beast.

"Oh, I know all about you," Devimon said calmly, directing himself at Kari. "I have a friend you might be acquainted with." He snapped his unusually long fingers, and the sound made TK want to cover his ears. Then the cackling began.

Not as deep a voice as Devimon, this cackle belong to a female. Returning with her former horror, the black feminine demon landed directly next to her counterpart.

"LadyDevimon!" Angewomon said, her angelic voice mighty above the uproar of battle. "Are we really going to do this again?"

In reply, LadyDevimon opened her arms wide and screamed "_Darkness Wave_!" Angewomon flew quickly to the left and managed to escape contact, but LadyDevimon was just as quick and managed to avoid the volley of arrows sent forth.

It was more than TK could bear. The battle around him had grown much more fierce; numbers and numbers of new, evil digimon arose all around them, two for every one of their fallen comrades. All the digimon were tiring out; he watched Aquilamon and ExVeemon fall prey to a group of Airdramon, and Ankylomon was thrown 15 feet by a Stegomon.

He saw that WereGarurumon and MegaKabuterimon had dedigivolved to Garurumon and Kabuterimon, and Garudamon was the only one having any success against the army. Sora's Crest of Love glowed brightly, giving strength to her partner.

Meanwhile, Angewomon was having a hard time against LadyDevimon. In their previous encounters with the demon digimon, Kari's partner struggled greatly before being able to defeat her, and in the last time Gatomon and Aquilamon had to DNA digivolve to Silphymon in order to destroy her.

"Not today, Blondie!" LadyDevimon yelled as she roundhouse kicked Angewomon, who collapsed to the floor.

"Angewomon!" Kari screamed and, despite the danger, ran for her partner. LadyDevimon chuckled at Kari's helpless efforts to awaken her partner, who had not dedigivolved.

"We keep playing this game, its getting boring!" LadyDevimon taunted. Kari send a glare in her direction that could break glass. The determination and courage in her eyes were astounding to TK. He then noticed that her Crest of Light had begun to glow dramatically, and so had Kari.

When Kari and her crest had reached the highest level of light TK's eyes could portray, he noticed Angewomon rise, surrounded by light.

"_Heaven's Charm_!" She spoke calmly but the power in her voice itself caused several digimon around her to dissipate. The purple and pink energy flung itself at her enemy.

"You're right, LadyDevimon," Angewomon said. "This is getting boring. It always ends the same way." LadyDevimon gave one last, piteous scream as her data was scattered and she was destroyed. TK at last began to feel hope bubble into his chest.

"You fool!" Devimon screamed, his bony fingers stretched to Kari. His pitless eyes began to glow, and the darkness and shadows of every creature surrounding him began being pulled towards the devilish thing. Darkness encompassed his entire body, and lightning and thunder echoed in the sky. TK noticed that the darkness took the form of an egg, and his mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusion. "Devimon warp digivolve to...Daemon!"

It was TK's worst nightmare come real; this is what the dream had shown him, he was absolutely certain. Daemon was the personification of the powers of darkness; TK knew him to be more powerful than the Dark Masters and Apocalymon combined. What little light TK felt inside him died quickly, replaced by an unquenchable despair.

"They say the youngest original is to destroy me," Daemon said. His voice was deep, harsh, and void of any emotion besides malice. He was shorter than Devimon had been, but much more frightening. His very presence gave off an aura of death and destruction.

"_Hammer Knuckle_!" His two fists combined and smashed the ground next to Kari. To TK's utter dismay, Kari was thrown high into the air, too high to survive the tremendous crash that followed the attack.


	6. The Despair

**A/N: I don't own digimon. Dont I wish I did! I actually updated quicker than I thought, because the last chapter ended on kind of a cliffhanger and I felt bad haha. This one might be shorter than usual. Enjoy!**

"Kari!" Angewomon shrieked. She flew off, into the woods where Kari's body had landed. Everybody was stunned.

"Kari..." TK whispered. His best friend. The most important person to him, his rock, his shield, his other half. He stood by helpless as she was mercilessly killed by Daemon. He fell to his knees and lightly touched his face. No tears were brimming on his eyes or falling on his cheeks. In his stunned misery, his body could release no emotion.

"Kari!" Tai cried. "Kari! Kari!" Her brother was running towards the forest as well. "No, Kari!" His eyes were red already; tears fell in a steady stream down the older boys face, but he took to his dejection in a different matter.

"You monster!" He whailed. "You beast! You heartless creep! You'll never get away with this! Agumon, warp digivolve!"

He reached down for his digivice, but couldn't find it. TK noticed the wild, panicked look in Tai's eyes. He felt like he was disconnected from reality; the things he was seeing were real but he was not registering them. It was if he was only an observer to the current events, that Kari's life was the only thing that anchored him to this universe.

He, too, noticed that he could not locate his digivice, but he could not bring himself to care. What did it matter about beating Daemon now that Kari was gone forever?

"Look," Sora, who had put her arms around Tai and had tears of her own streaming down her face. "DemiDevimon's got our digivices."

It was true; the blue furball had rematerialized and joined Devimon's army, and his claws were 10 digivices.

"Excellent work, DemiDevimon," Daemon congratulated. "Now they'll never stop me."

TK noticed that nobody even seemed like they wanted to stop him anymore. Tai was sobbing so hard he was shaking into Sora's arms. Joe was trying to comfort Mimi's loud, harsh crying, but he was tearing up and shaking too much himself. Izzy was with Yolei and Cody, trying to get them away from the digimon and into safety, but they kept trying to break away and find Kari.

"She's not dead, she's not dead," TK heard Yolei say. TK wished to God it was true; he could hope beyond hope but he knew it was no good.

He was on all fours now, his head towards the ground. He could hear the faint battle marches going on behind him, but he didn't look up. He didn't check to make sure he was out of danger.

A pair of arms draped themselves over TK's body. He could tell it was Matt by the way his brother was holding him.

"Come on, TK, its not safe here." His brothers voice cracked. TK knew he was right, but he could not move. He could not even cry for his best friend, the sense of despair filling him to the very core.

"Begone from him," the nightmarish voice rang out. He felt his brothers arms violently thrown to the side. He looked up to see that Daemon had come to him.

_He's here to finish me off,_ TK thought. _He killed Kari and now he will kill me, just like he meant to all those years ago. Maybe that isn't too bad. Whats the point of living if it hurts like this?_

"I need you, Bearer of Hope." TK looked up, shocked and confused. He noticed that the battle had stopped completely. All of his remaining friends had been tied up and removed to a farther location. Sometime during the fight, Angemon had become Patamon again, who was lying silently at Davis' feet. TK could not answer the hellish fiend before him, but instead could not hide the look of surprise. At least he was feeling something...

"Your crest," the demon said. "It is worthless, yet I cannot win without it. You have already given up, so give me your crest. Release Hope to me."

TK recalled something he learned in school. In the Greek myth of Pandora's Box, when she opened the box, all of the world's evils were unleashed. The world blamed Pandora for her curiosity, but in the end, one thing remained in the box. Hope would not abandon humanity. Hope was the last thing they had.

_Kari was the last thing I had_, TK thought. _She gave me my hope, and now that she's gone, what do I have?_

_Maybe I should give it up. It's worthless baggage now._ He looked at his friends. He saw their faces, etched with pain and shock. He knew that they could, and would, keep fighting, but TK had come to the conclusion that he wasn't as strong as his friends. His time in the Digital World had left him exactly the same.

He knew that he could not fight anymore. He could not bring himself to put effort towards victory, when it was so obvious that it could not be achieved. He reached behind his neck and took off the crest. He held it in his hands and stared at it, the light around them reflecting off of it. For the first time TK noticed that it was bright, even though it should be night. He didn't feel curious about it, or even surprised. He could faintly hear Patamon and the others calling to him.

"What good is Hope if it can't protect you?" Daemon whispered. "All you have to do is give me the crest."

TK couldn't make up his mind. His crest sat there, dead, and would not glow. Everything he did, the crest stayed the same. He relaxed his hand, and pointed it towards Daemon.

The cloaked digimon grinned, and TK could see that he still had the same pitless eyes. The eyes that showed nothing beneath the creature, no warmth or light or soul.

_Don't do it_, TK heard in his head, and though it wasn't his own voice, he felt that he had thought it. _TK, never give up hope._

Kari. Kari would never give up. She would never get up to this monster, this darkness. The light combats the darkness always, and Kari was the bearer of light. And Light and Hope were connected.

Daemon's hand was inches away from the crest when TK whispered, "No."

Kari would never surrender. She would fight forever, spend all eternity contending with demons, rather than face defeat. For her, above all things, TK realized that he could not go through with it.

And finally,_ finally_, the Crest of Hope began to glow.

Daemon was pushed backwards by the light. TK was shocked; it had never glowed this brightly before. He noticed that Patamon had stood up, but something still held him back from making him digivolve.

"Foolish boy!" Daemon screamed. "You defeated me last time because only the youngest of the originals can destroy me. The youngest is gone now!"

"I dont care about your prophecy!" TK shouted, the light of his crest giving him back his voice. It was stronger and clearer than it had been for days; the tiredness from his lack of sleep had been eradicated. He was upset, angry, and now, above all, determined. "I don't care about anything you have to say. You tried to kill me, my friends, and destroyed one of the most important people in my life. If I truly cannot destroy, then I would die trying!"

"TK!" a voice cried. His eyes found the source. Above the forest, flying towards them with grace and speed and power, was Angewomon. And she was carrying Kari. "TK!"

It almost too good to be true, but it wasnt. Kari was waving to him, calling to him, telling him that she was coming. The look in her eyes told TK that he would never feel lonely again, and he finally released the tears that hadn't come before. With this new outbreak of emotion, TK's crest became blinding, and he heard his enemy cry out, and he felt new strength coursing through his veins.

"Patamon!" TK cried out to his partner. The small, orange digimon flew straight into the light of the Crest of Hope.

"Patamon warp digivolve to...Seraphimon!"


	7. The Light

**A/N: I don't own digimon or the characters. Shout out to my tumblr friend taikamiyaa for making me upload because apparently patience isnt really a virtue LOL. but yeah hope you enjoy :)**

Seraphimon stood taller than any humanoid digimon TK had ever seen. His partner retained the angelic nature of his previous digivolutions. He had ten shiny, golden wings, and was clad in blue and silver armor. His helmet had white feathers sticking out of it, and wings came off of his boots. His armor was lined with gold, and the armor itself shined silver, giving off heat. He had breechcloth with digicode on it, and TK understood it to mean "All are one with me."

"Seraphimon, the fully digivolved form of Patamon," Izzy said, his laptop out. "Fully digivolved form...Patamon digivolved to Mega!"

"Seraphimon..." TK whispered, and walked towards his partner. Seraphimon stood confidently next to Daemon.

"I have the Grace of God," Seraphimon spoke, and in his voice was the sound of an angelic choir. "You will not win."

Even Daemon was surprised by this, but he recovered his composition quickly.

"You think one mega level digimon can destroy me?" Daemon asked scathingly. He snapped his fingers, and from all around him the darkness gave birth to six new, but familiar digimon: MetalEtemon, Myotismon, MetalSeadramon, Puppetmon, Machinedramon, and Piedmon.

In the commotion, Davis had snuck behind DemiDevimon and hit him with a branch. The bat digimon dropped all the digivices, and Davis and Yolei scrambled to pick them all up.

"Hey guys," Ken shouted, arriving from the woods on Stingmon's back. "Didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"What took you so long!" Davis screamed at his best friend. "We could have used you, like, 20 minutes ago!"

TK walked over to Kari, who was staring at the army of mega digimon just waiting for them. Once Tai and Matt had Agumon and Gabumon warp digivolve, they would have three mega digimon, but TK knew that might not be enough.

"Hey," he said, grabbing her hand. "I thought you were a goner." She smiled.

"Can't get rid of me that easily," she laughed, and suddenly, despite everything that was happening, TK was laughing too. Then, the two of them looked at each other and, without saying anything, kissed.

It was if they weren't in the digital world anymore; it was as if they weren't anywhere. That magical place TK went when they were alone in his house wrapped itself around them, and even though he knew that everybody was watching, he also knew that he was with Kari, and thats all that mattered.

"Maybe there's time for that later," Cody called over to them, and the couple broke apart but stayed very close. "But right now we're a little busy." TK did not look over. He did not want to look at the faces of the others, and see their smug faces.

WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon lined up next to Seraphimon. Though the three megas were formidable, it looked like it would be tough.

"Will three mega's be enough?" Joe asked, in that panicky way he does when he knows that somebody will come up with a plan. Kari looked down at her own crest.

"If you can do it, I can do it," Kari said to TK. "Hope and Light together." TK realized that only by allowing himself to be with Kari emotionally had Patamon been able to digivolve. He and Kari closed their eyes, and the Crest of Light enveloped them. Angewomon quickly dedigivolved.

"Salamon warp digivolve to...Magnadramon!" Stood in the place of the angel was a large, pink dragon. Two horns stuck out of her head, and she wielded fearsome looking claws. Even though she was not an angel anymore, it was obvious to TK that Magnadramon was a holy beast.

The Crests of Hope and Light together overpowered even the sun. Seraphimon and Magnadramon repelled darkness; neither creature had even a shadow. Magnadramon began circling around Seraphimon, and a large blue orb was developing.

"Davis," Seraphimon called. "Yolei, Cody, Ken. Quick, catch!" The orb that the celestial digimon had been creating shot towards a very confused Davis. When he caught it, he recognized it immediately.

"The DigiEgg of Miracles?!" Davis recalled, loudly and in shock. Everybody stared at the golden egg.

"Together, Seraphimon and I can release the Golden DigiEggs," Magnadramon explained, and her voice was as tough as a lioness, with the same mystical properties as Seraphimon, as though when they spoke a choir of angels was singing. "The power of the second Golden DigiEgg was sent to the digivices of the older kids. You know what to do."

Davis, Ken, Cody, and Yolei each put their hands around the glowing entity. Its golden light shone brightly, feeding off the light of Kari's and TK's crests.

"Golden Armor Energize!" the four digidestined screamed. Their D3's went crazy, and the light expanded to their partners.

"Veemon golden armor digivolve to...Magnamon!"

"Stingmon golden armor digivolve to...Kongoumon!" Kongoumon was a giant, golden beetle that stood on two legs. He wore a purple beaded necklace, and in each of his six hands he held a golden trident.

"Hawkmon golden armor digivolve to...Peacockmon!" Peacockmon looked like a blue, metallic dinosaure. His wings were green and gold, and he had spikes coming off his arms and toes.

"Armadillomon golden armor digivolve to...Elephantmon!" Elephantmon looked like a regular elephant, except purple and red. The armor surrounding his feet and head were golden, and he had circular fans for ears. A spike stuck off of his trunk.

The older generation of DigiDestined looked to their familiar enemies, then to Seraphimon, Magnadramon, WarGreymon, and MetalGarurumon, then to the Golden Digimon. A battle had commenced before them; it seemed that all the mega digimon were at equal strength. Sora's hand tightened around Tai's.

"We don't have time for this!" she screamed, but there was joy in her voice, and her eyes were alight with hope. She held out her digivice, and her crest began to glow.

"Biyomon warp digivolve to...Hououmon!"

"Biyomon digivolved to mega!" Tai exclaimed, and he picked Sora up and spun her around. Hououmon was a gigantic golden bird, with four shining wings. Her head was armored, and she had flaming hair. She had Holy Rings around her ankles, and she took her place next to the Celestial Digimon.

"That must have been what Magnadramon meant about the power going to our digivices!" Izzy deducted. "Everybody get your crests ready!"

"Tentomon warp digivolve to...HerculesKabuterimon!" HerculesKabuterimon was, as well, drenched in all gold; he had a gigantic horn and scissors, with a red jaw and massive wings.

"Gomamon warp digivolve to...Plesiomon!" Plesiomon looked like what TK envisioned as the Loch Ness Monster. He was white with purple stripes, and the same red/orange hair has Gomamon had. Its front flippers were bigger than his back ones.

"Palmon warp digivolve to...Rosemon!" Rosemon retained the human-like beauties of her Ultimate form, Lillymon. Her head looked like she was wearing a rose-shaped hat; a vine wrapped itself around her body and into her hand, forming a whip. She had a white cape and black boots.

TK was so much in shock he laughed. Everybody had managed to digivolve to Mega, not just Tai and Matt. He knew that everybody had wanted their own partners to progress as well.

"TK, what's so funny?" Kari asked. He applied more pressure to their intertwined hands and smiled at her.

"It's just...it was a pretty good day after all." She kissed him again, quickly this time, and they turned to watch the battle.

The four Golden Digimon had rounded up MetalEtemon. He kept trying to knock out Elephantmon with his metal punch, but he slipped on his own banana peel attack.

Magnamon screamed, "_Magna Burst_!" just as Kongoumon, Peacockmon, and Elephantmon screamed "_Power Slapping_," "_Rainbow Flapping_," and "_Tusk Missile_!"

Plesiomon and Rosemon were working on Myotismon. Kari squeezed TK's hand in worry as Rosemon got his with Myotismon's crimson lightning, but TK knew that they would be okay.

"_Shaking Pulse_!" Plesiomon attacked, and hit Myotismon straight on with an intense burst of ice and water. Rosemon recovered quickly and countered Myotismon with "_Forbidden Temptations!_" An uncountable number of rose petals appeared and fired pink energy beams at Myotismon.

HerculesKabuterimon and Machinedramon were locked in combat. Machinedramon looked like he was about to get the upper hand, when he got in too close. HerculesKabuterimon snapped his scissors shut and dented Machinedramon's armor. When he fell backwards in pain and surprise, HerculesKabuterimon took his chance.

"_Mega Electro Shocker_!" he screamed. It looked similar to Kabuterimon's attack, but it was much more intensified; TK could feel the prickle of electricity from where he stood. Nearby, Hououmon was battling MetalSeadramon. With absolute ease Hououmon commanded the skies, and quickly brought MetalSeadramon down and went for the kill shot.

"_Star-light Explosion!"_ Raising its four wings, it flapped them and released golden flares onto the evil sea dragon.

MetalGarurumon was in a battle that was somewhat familiar to TK. When they were fighting the Dark Masters the first time, MetalGarurumon had been the one to dispatch Puppetmon, and nothing was going differently know.

"I still dont need friends to take care of you!" Puppetmon screeched, and was hit in the back by MetalGarurumon's wolf claw attack.

WarGreymon and Piedmon were on the far side of the meadow. Both megas were looking tired. Piedmon lured WarGreymon into his trump swords attack and gravely injured him. Again, Kari squeezed TK's hand, and he squeezed back, but he could not bring himself to worry. Thier crests were still alight, filling TK with nothing but hope and power.

MetalGarurumon came along and distracted Piedmon long enough for WarGreymon to hit him with a terra force. The two friends dispatched Puppetmon and Piedmon together after.

TK now stared at his own partner. The battle between Seraphimon, Magnadramon, and Daemon was more heightened than any of the others.

"_Holy Flame_!" Magnadramon spewed out the most impressive tornado of fire that TK had ever seen; unfortunately, Daemon dodged it and attacked back quickly.

"Gatomon!" Kari ran to her partner, who had dedigivolved after Daemon's brutal attack. She looked beaten down but perfectly fine. Kari glared up at the devil.

"Daemon, you cannot destroy these kids," Seraphimon said. "I will not let you hurt them, and if I must destroy you to achieve that, then I will."

"Destroy me?!" Daemon laughed. "You think you can digivolve and then immediately destroy me? It'll take something more than a newbie mega and his pipsqueak human partner to stop me!"

"No," Seraphimon responded. "It wont." Daemon lowed his grin. He fired an attack right at Daemon, but Seraphimon stopped it by glowing brighter and nullifying his attack. He moved closer and closer, and with each step he gained more grace.

"You have upset the balance of the Digital and Real Worlds both," Seraphimon accused. "And that crime will not go unpunished."

"Who do you think you are?" Daemon spat. "What gives you the authority to destroy me?!"

"The Grace of God." Daemon looked straight at TK, and he noticed again the eyes. And they showed no remorse, no pain or suffering or fear. They were empty, and would stay empty forever.

"_Strike...of the Seven Stars_!" Seraphimon shouted. Seven orbs of light that was so pure and bright it had to have been sacred from God's own palace appeared around him. They shot straight for Daemon in seven super-heated bursts of energy.

"No!" Daemon screamed as they collided with his body. "How could this have happened? I had a prophecy!"

"Because," TK said, walking right next to his partner. "Kari's not the youngest of the first eight. I am."

Daemon looked at TK again. His eyes had not changed, could not, would not show any emotion. As his body disintegrated, he began to laugh as menacingly as ever.

As soon as the laugh began, TK felt all the energy around him change. He looked to his friends, and saw that they were feeling it too. The sun in the sky was changing.

"I may be destroyed, but never count me out," the monster from hell advised before being obliterated.

"He's changing time!" Izzy screamed. "The reason that the sun was out even though time works the same is because Daemon was in control of this part of the digital world. Without him, everything will revert to how it was before he came to be!"

"So we'll have to fight him again?!" Tai asked, pulling Sora closer to him to avoid her get pushed by the wind.

"No, he's destroyed now," Izzy explained. "But it will be like his adventure had never happened."

A red light fell from the sky and began to encompass everybody. TK realized that that would mean he had never kissed Kari, and realized that he might never work up the nerve again. He reached out to her, and she reached out to him, but was swept farther away.

"TK!" Seraphimon shouted, and grabbed him in a warm, caring light, and then the wind stopped and TK's vision went black.


	8. The End

**A/N: I don't own digimon (you probably got that at this point haha) This is it, guys! Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed! It really means a lot. I'm really glad you guys liked it :) But don't forget about me! I'm working on something else too! Thanks again!**

His ears started to work before he opened his eyes. What he heard, he only half believed. When he opened his eyes, he confirmed it.

He was listening to the awful DJ music from the dance. They had been transported back. But he still remembered everything.

_Seraphimon's light_, TK remembered. _He saved my memory._ TK looked back at the clock; it was 10:00, the exact time that Devimon had made his attack.

He then looked again at Kari. She was talking to Shinji again, and was still smiling but adamantly saying no. TK's gut dropped. He figured that Seraphimon couldn't save more than him, but seeing it was much worse.

He knew that he'd never be able to tell Kari how he feels. He began to retreat to the back of the room to grab another cookie or some chips.

_Maybe its for the best_, he thought. _At least this way we can always be friends._ The idea of losing Kari made his heart ache, and he knew she would always be his friend, and nothing could change that.

He found Tai and Sora dancing the middle of the floor. They were smiling as they spun around and even though Sora couldn't see his face, Tai could not contain his smile. His eyes were brighter than stars. They had always been close friends, and they still were, even if they were dating.

Close by was Joe and Mimi. They were dancing and Mimi was laughing and still trying to get Joe to do the steps right. Every time he stepped on her foot, he'd lean in close and whisper "sorry" and she would giggle and lead them on. Their friendship seemed to be okay.

Absentmindedly, he clasped the Crest of Hope around his neck. He recalled the period during the battle when he could not get it glow. Then he remembered how he had managed to turn on its power. He couldn't let that happen again.

His feet made the first move, but his brain was only a second behind.

"Kari," he asked, interrupting something Shinji was saying. "Would you like to dance with me?"

"Sure, TK," she said with a smile. She apologized to Shinji, who just nodded like he had expected it.

He led her into the packed floor. Another slow song had come on, and they began to sway to the beat of the song. They didn't speak, but TK realized they didn't have to. It felt perfect; that place they went together was here again, some place he knew that nobody could follow them.

"You know, I'm thinking about being a writer," he finally admitted aloud. Kari smiled at him, in a way that she was honored to hear about his goals and was supportive. He felt a weight lift off of him.

He was a surprisingly good dancer, very light on his feet. Kari already knew that, but it made the dancing easier. When the song was closing in on its final notes, they looked each other in the eyes, and TK realized that nothing else even mattered. He realized the true reason that he shouldn't give up hope, ever.

When they broke apart their kiss, TK smiled the biggest smile he had ever worn. Kari looked amused.

"You act like we've never kissed before," she said. TK narrowed his eyes in surprise, then realized that Seraphimon managed to extend his shield to more than just him. Kari remembered the battle as well.

"Hope and Light together," TK said, tangling his fingers in hers.

And this time when they kissed, TK had no intention of ever stopping.


End file.
